STRATEGY
The Zinzendorf Mission, or ZMission for short, was birthed out of a desire to see the totality of the Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed to all peoples of the world. Proclamation is here defined not only as verbal declaration of the Word of God as contained in the Holy Bible, not only as distribution of the printed Word of God as contained in the Bible, but also as humble followers of Jesus Christ living in submission to that Word.
When the Lord Jesus Christ was about to ascend into heaven, he gave his followers the command to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching the obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28.19-20). It is out of that command, and in response to that command that ZMission was born.
Vision:
The whole gospel for the whole world
ZMission has as its overarching vision that the full revelation of God as given to mankind through Jesus Christ, and as attested to by all of the prophets and apostles be taken to every culture of the world.
1. THE WHOLE GOSPEL. By this we mean that we hold as a deliberate intention to do everything we can to see the full and total Gospel of Christ demonstrated and proclaimed, as opposed to only a partial Gospel. Specifically, we believe that everything Christ taught must be obeyed. We believe that we should not only be involved in proclaiming repentance and forgiveness of sins through the shed blood, death and resurrection of Christ, but that we also must demonstrate the love of Christ by caring for the poor and those in need. We not only should be proclaiming that Jesus heals and saves, but we also should demonstrate it through our lives. We should be given to declaring the ‘whole counsel of God’ (Acts 20), and not just part of God’s counsel.
2. THE WHOLE WORLD. It is clear from both the Old and New Testament that the heart of God is for the salvation of all nations. When Jesus gave the command to ‘make disciples of all nations’, he used the word ‘ethne’ in Greek, from which we get the word ‘ethnic’. He seems to be referring to every ethnic group, not just every political entity. In the book of Revelation, we see that there will be people standing around the throne from every language and tribe and people and nation (Revelation 7, 9). And Jesus said “This Gospel of the Kingdom will be proclaimed as a testimony to all nations, and then the end shall come.” It is so important to God that people be redeemed from every people group, that the end will not come until they have all heard the Gospel proclaimed. The vision of ZMission encompasses and embraces the need to include all of the currently unreached people groups throughout the world in our vision.
Working in partnershipTo articulate such a global and comprehensive vision could seem ridiculously confident and naive. But it must be understood that the vision must be pursued in vital partnership with the total body of Christ throughout the world. There is no single organization, no single denomination, and no single ministry that will ever be able to complete the task alone. ZMission believes that we must embrace a global and comprehensive vision as the ultimate purpose and aim and consummation of the purposes of God, and make all of our plans and efforts fit (in however small a way) within that vast enterprise. We believe that if we do not do so, our plans will be less than they could or should be. Our vision seeks to be in line with what we believe to be God’s vision, and then to work in partnership with the body of Christ, in all of its various forms and organizational structures, to seeing this vision accomplished. Our prayer is that God will show us how we, with our limited resources, and with all the skill and talent and influence that he may entrust to us, may be a force within this world to see his ultimate aims achieved.
Purpose:
The glory and honor of God and the healing of the nations
The purpose of ZMission is to bring glory and honor to the name of God and to bring healing to the nations. We believe that the Gospel “is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe” (Romans 1.16). As God demonstrates his power to save through the proclamation and demonstration of the Gospel, it brings glory to Him.
We also know that the truth of the Gospel brings healing not only to the lives of individuals, but to families, communities, and to cultures and nations.
This is our purpose.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."
Jesus Christ, Matthew 28:19-20
Mission:
To be disciples and make disciples,
with a special focus on the least reached.
Within the context of our vision and purpose, our mission comprises the following:
1.TO BE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST. To undertake any service to God first requires a submission in our own hearts to his Lordship. This is first and foremost an individual decision, and then a corporate decision. Jesus said “anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14.27). This is what Jesus is about, and it is what he told his followers to be about: teaching others to deny themselves and follow him in humble, daily obedience.
2.TO MAKE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST. This is what Jesus commanded his followers to do: to go and make disciples of all nations – baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded. This is what ZMission is about. This is central to our mission.
3.FOCUS ON THE LEAST REACHED. As the heart of God is clearly for all peoples everywhere, as “God our Savior … wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 1), we feel it is our duty as God’s people to focus on those who have yet to even hear the Gospel for the first time. These unreached people groups are mainly located in northern Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. However, they may also be found throughout the world, and it is incumbent on us to seek to reach them with the message of the Bible, and to help them become obedient followers of Christ.
Objectives
To see the vision, purpose and mission of ZMission pursued effectively, we believe it is imperative that we hold to four primary objectives:
Biblical orthodoxy
In all that we do, we seek to be true to the Word of God as contained in the Bible.
Personal integrity
We seek to live lives of godliness, purity, holiness and integrity in every way. This does not mean we will be perfect, but we strive to please God and live above reproach. When we fail, we seek to be open in our confession and deliberate in our repentance.
Vital fellowship
We seek to maintain vital, vibrant fellowship with God through personal worship, study and reading of the Bible, personal prayer, as well as corporate worship, prayer, and sitting under the ministries of the many servants of God. We seek to be an integrated part of God’s family as represented by individuals, families, local churches, and Christian organizations in their many various forms throughout the world.
World mission
We hold as an active objective to keep before us the command of Christ to go and make disciples of all nations. We seek to be led by the Holy Spirit, and to use all of our influence and gifts, however small or large they may be towards this aim.
“He who descended [Jesus] is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe. It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:10-13 (NIV)
A prophetic role
Among the many roles that God calls people to fulfill, all are aimed at strengthening the body of Christ, and bringing the body of Christ to maturity. We read in the first book of Paul the apostle to the Corinthians:
“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. For ...everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.”
1 Corinthians 14:1,3 (NIV)
We see New Testament prophets fulfilling this role in the New Testament book of Acts:
“Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers. After spending some time there, they were sent off by the brothers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them.” Acts 15:32-33 (NIV)
And in 1 Peter 4: “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God” (v.11)
A primary role of ZMission is that of speaking the Words of God in a prophetic way, in order to strengthen, encourage and comfort the church as the church seeks to fulfill its mission. It is through this presentation of the Word of God, and its application to the lives of men and women and children, that the vision, mission and purpose of the organization will be pursued, with God’s help.
Implementation
Implementation of the ministry vision is pursued in at least the following forms:
Bible teaching, Preaching, Evangelism, Counseling & Consulting
Speaking in churches, Christian festivals, seminars, homes, youth groups, prisons, and person-to-person.
Helping the poor
Financial support for the needy, with a special focus on helping poor followers of Jesus in places of persecution such as China and the Islamic world is part of the work of ZMission. This includes helping the poor become self-sufficient through training, education, and in some cases financial assistance.
Starting churches
We are told in the Scriptures that the Church of Jesus is “the pillar and foundation of truth.” The church is the visible representation of Christ in the world today. We believe the most significant mission strategy is centered in establishing first-century, New Testament churches that believe the commands of Christ and his apostles are just as authoritative today as they were in the first century.
Fostering prayer
Prayer is a fundamental aspect of any serious work of God. We are committed to being people of personal and corporate prayer on a regular, consistent and daily basis to seek God’s wisdom, guidance and direction, and for His blessing on all of our endeavors. This includes thanksgiving and praise, worship, listening, intercession.
Management Consulting
ZMission provides guidance to individual missionaries, churches, and charitable organizations that share the aims and goals of ZMission. This is for the purpose of building effective fruit-bearing ministries and making disciples of Jesus especially among the least reached peoples of the world.
Mentoring and coaching
Personal mentoring and coaching for missionaries and ministers is at the core of the work of ZMission. It is our desire to help missionaries and ministers of the Gospel, in many forms, succeed as they seek to build the kingdom of God. This is a highly personalized approach to ministry, spiritual development and fruit-bearing.
Doctrinal statement
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
The Zinzendorf Mission, or ZMission for short, was birthed out of a desire to see the totality of the Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed to all peoples of the world. Proclamation is here defined not only as verbal declaration of the Word of God as contained in the Holy Bible, not only as distribution of the printed Word of God as contained in the Bible, but also as humble followers of Jesus Christ living in submission to that Word.
When the Lord Jesus Christ was about to ascend into heaven, he gave his followers the command to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching the obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28.19-20). It is out of that command, and in response to that command that ZMission was born.
Vision:
The whole gospel for the whole world
ZMission has as its overarching vision that the full revelation of God as given to mankind through Jesus Christ, and as attested to by all of the prophets and apostles be taken to every culture of the world.
1. THE WHOLE GOSPEL. By this we mean that we hold as a deliberate intention to do everything we can to see the full and total Gospel of Christ demonstrated and proclaimed, as opposed to only a partial Gospel. Specifically, we believe that everything Christ taught must be obeyed. We believe that we should not only be involved in proclaiming repentance and forgiveness of sins through the shed blood, death and resurrection of Christ, but that we also must demonstrate the love of Christ by caring for the poor and those in need. We not only should be proclaiming that Jesus heals and saves, but we also should demonstrate it through our lives. We should be given to declaring the ‘whole counsel of God’ (Acts 20), and not just part of God’s counsel.
2. THE WHOLE WORLD. It is clear from both the Old and New Testament that the heart of God is for the salvation of all nations. When Jesus gave the command to ‘make disciples of all nations’, he used the word ‘ethne’ in Greek, from which we get the word ‘ethnic’. He seems to be referring to every ethnic group, not just every political entity. In the book of Revelation, we see that there will be people standing around the throne from every language and tribe and people and nation (Revelation 7, 9). And Jesus said “This Gospel of the Kingdom will be proclaimed as a testimony to all nations, and then the end shall come.” It is so important to God that people be redeemed from every people group, that the end will not come until they have all heard the Gospel proclaimed. The vision of ZMission encompasses and embraces the need to include all of the currently unreached people groups throughout the world in our vision.
Working in partnershipTo articulate such a global and comprehensive vision could seem ridiculously confident and naive. But it must be understood that the vision must be pursued in vital partnership with the total body of Christ throughout the world. There is no single organization, no single denomination, and no single ministry that will ever be able to complete the task alone. ZMission believes that we must embrace a global and comprehensive vision as the ultimate purpose and aim and consummation of the purposes of God, and make all of our plans and efforts fit (in however small a way) within that vast enterprise. We believe that if we do not do so, our plans will be less than they could or should be. Our vision seeks to be in line with what we believe to be God’s vision, and then to work in partnership with the body of Christ, in all of its various forms and organizational structures, to seeing this vision accomplished. Our prayer is that God will show us how we, with our limited resources, and with all the skill and talent and influence that he may entrust to us, may be a force within this world to see his ultimate aims achieved.
Purpose:
The glory and honor of God and the healing of the nations
The purpose of ZMission is to bring glory and honor to the name of God and to bring healing to the nations. We believe that the Gospel “is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe” (Romans 1.16). As God demonstrates his power to save through the proclamation and demonstration of the Gospel, it brings glory to Him.
We also know that the truth of the Gospel brings healing not only to the lives of individuals, but to families, communities, and to cultures and nations.
This is our purpose.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."
Jesus Christ, Matthew 28:19-20
Mission:
To be disciples and make disciples,
with a special focus on the least reached.
Within the context of our vision and purpose, our mission comprises the following:
1.TO BE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST. To undertake any service to God first requires a submission in our own hearts to his Lordship. This is first and foremost an individual decision, and then a corporate decision. Jesus said “anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14.27). This is what Jesus is about, and it is what he told his followers to be about: teaching others to deny themselves and follow him in humble, daily obedience.
2.TO MAKE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST. This is what Jesus commanded his followers to do: to go and make disciples of all nations – baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded. This is what ZMission is about. This is central to our mission.
3.FOCUS ON THE LEAST REACHED. As the heart of God is clearly for all peoples everywhere, as “God our Savior … wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 1), we feel it is our duty as God’s people to focus on those who have yet to even hear the Gospel for the first time. These unreached people groups are mainly located in northern Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. However, they may also be found throughout the world, and it is incumbent on us to seek to reach them with the message of the Bible, and to help them become obedient followers of Christ.
Objectives
To see the vision, purpose and mission of ZMission pursued effectively, we believe it is imperative that we hold to four primary objectives:
Biblical orthodoxy
In all that we do, we seek to be true to the Word of God as contained in the Bible.
Personal integrity
We seek to live lives of godliness, purity, holiness and integrity in every way. This does not mean we will be perfect, but we strive to please God and live above reproach. When we fail, we seek to be open in our confession and deliberate in our repentance.
Vital fellowship
We seek to maintain vital, vibrant fellowship with God through personal worship, study and reading of the Bible, personal prayer, as well as corporate worship, prayer, and sitting under the ministries of the many servants of God. We seek to be an integrated part of God’s family as represented by individuals, families, local churches, and Christian organizations in their many various forms throughout the world.
World mission
We hold as an active objective to keep before us the command of Christ to go and make disciples of all nations. We seek to be led by the Holy Spirit, and to use all of our influence and gifts, however small or large they may be towards this aim.
“He who descended [Jesus] is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe. It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:10-13 (NIV)
A prophetic role
Among the many roles that God calls people to fulfill, all are aimed at strengthening the body of Christ, and bringing the body of Christ to maturity. We read in the first book of Paul the apostle to the Corinthians:
“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. For ...everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.”
1 Corinthians 14:1,3 (NIV)
We see New Testament prophets fulfilling this role in the New Testament book of Acts:
“Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers. After spending some time there, they were sent off by the brothers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them.” Acts 15:32-33 (NIV)
And in 1 Peter 4: “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God” (v.11)
A primary role of ZMission is that of speaking the Words of God in a prophetic way, in order to strengthen, encourage and comfort the church as the church seeks to fulfill its mission. It is through this presentation of the Word of God, and its application to the lives of men and women and children, that the vision, mission and purpose of the organization will be pursued, with God’s help.
Implementation
Implementation of the ministry vision is pursued in at least the following forms:
Bible teaching, Preaching, Evangelism, Counseling & Consulting
Speaking in churches, Christian festivals, seminars, homes, youth groups, prisons, and person-to-person.
Helping the poor
Financial support for the needy, with a special focus on helping poor followers of Jesus in places of persecution such as China and the Islamic world is part of the work of ZMission. This includes helping the poor become self-sufficient through training, education, and in some cases financial assistance.
Starting churches
We are told in the Scriptures that the Church of Jesus is “the pillar and foundation of truth.” The church is the visible representation of Christ in the world today. We believe the most significant mission strategy is centered in establishing first-century, New Testament churches that believe the commands of Christ and his apostles are just as authoritative today as they were in the first century.
Fostering prayer
Prayer is a fundamental aspect of any serious work of God. We are committed to being people of personal and corporate prayer on a regular, consistent and daily basis to seek God’s wisdom, guidance and direction, and for His blessing on all of our endeavors. This includes thanksgiving and praise, worship, listening, intercession.
Management Consulting
ZMission provides guidance to individual missionaries, churches, and charitable organizations that share the aims and goals of ZMission. This is for the purpose of building effective fruit-bearing ministries and making disciples of Jesus especially among the least reached peoples of the world.
Mentoring and coaching
Personal mentoring and coaching for missionaries and ministers is at the core of the work of ZMission. It is our desire to help missionaries and ministers of the Gospel, in many forms, succeed as they seek to build the kingdom of God. This is a highly personalized approach to ministry, spiritual development and fruit-bearing.
Doctrinal statement
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.